


The Myth of Morality

by Always_Worth_It



Category: Original Work
Genre: Original Mythology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-25
Updated: 2013-01-25
Packaged: 2017-11-26 20:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/654000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Always_Worth_It/pseuds/Always_Worth_It
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally written for a college Classics project. Inspired by Hesiod's Myth of the Ages.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Myth of Morality

The Myth of Morality

 

They say there was once a time when things were better, when we were better. Tough giants did not roam this earth, but elves, creatures possessed of vast knowledge and goodness. With ephemeral bodies as delicate as glass and skin like gossamer, the elves were a beautiful people inside and out. Never since the reign of the Race of the Elven has there been a people so kind and compassionate towards one another. The elves treated one another with respect and understanding; a stranger from any land was as welcome as kin, if he, too, abided by the laws of nature and the universe with love and wonder.

In their wonder, the elves dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge; science was the foundation of all nature and civilization. But one day something went wrong. A study meant to be harmless was beyond the understanding of even the brightest elves, and the outcome catalyzed irrevocable change. The glass of their bodies shattered as their frames enlarged to reveal an underlying shell of steel, still glistening and reflective, but cold and harsh. 

This new race of metal men was stronger and less intelligent. The glass elves could not understand the new race and blamed them for the death of their fellow elves. War broke out between the races and the delicate elves were smashed, revealing the hard interior in each that was allowed to grow and expand with the loss of the fragile exterior. The new race was of homogeneous steel and unapologetic of its actions. The steel-hearted population continued with the few scientific undertakings it retained the acuity to understand, but anger and impulse ruled the minds of the bitter race and they were not as careful.

The second incident, a reckless experiment conceived by incapable minds, caused the metallic people to grow and mutate again. Larger and stronger, their frames were solid radium. Their bodies glowed with what they assumed was the returning light of knowledge, a throwback to their days of gossamer ancestry, and the massive people celebrated. Soon, though, they all became sick. Bodies larger than entire elf dwellings fell dead everywhere as the race of giants waged war for scarce land and food undamaged by their own radiation. Some were lucky; they escaped with their lives because they possessed skin thick enough to become a tough and impenetrable leather. Though they rotted on the inside due to their own radiation, their hides provided shelter from external harm, and their lives were not cut short, though intelligence and grace were lost from the world.

Now these calloused creatures are the only ones who inhabit the realm. They have ceased their degradation, for nothing penetrates their bodies from inside or out. There is little hope for improvement; their radium skulls protect the last vestiges of feeble brains, and their radium ribs shield the weak hearts that once were strong guiding forces. They are not percipient enough to improve themselves, but they retain enough knowledge not to risk anything and worsen their condition. 

Perhaps someday there will be enough regeneration and positive evolution. There is no guarantee unless there is a day when change begins again. There is no way to know for sure, and we do not guess anymore. We do not hypothesize or struggle to understand. We  have learned that lesson: we can never understand, and it is through our own folly searching for answers that we destroy the good in this world. We were once good. 

 


End file.
